Much at stake for truckers caught hauling illegal drugs

The Trucker Staff

6/5/2008


Even as the federal government looks for ways to weed out truckers using drugs, cross-country truckers continue to get caught hauling cargo of an illegal nature — in very large quantities.



On May 20, a 26-year-old truck driver was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents after 29.4 kilograms, or 64.7 pounds, of hydroponic marijuana allegedly were found in a truck he drove across the border from Canada.



The trucker, whose name was not disclosed, was arrested on U.S. federal charges alleging importation and possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, said Kevin Corsaro, chief customs and border officer for the Buffalo, N.Y., field office.



Border officials said the extra load on the truck was discovered by gamma-ray technology as the driver applied for admission to the United States at the Peace Bridge border crossing.



The scan produced a high-resolution image of the truck's contents and displayed an anomaly that was inconsistent with a load of steel.



A physical inspection of the load turned up three undeclared large plastic bags containing 124 vacuum-sealed bags of pot.



"The marijuana seized ... has a street value of approximately $200,000," said Corsaro.



Another truck driver was arrested the night of May 25 after an officer conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 19 south of Green Valley, Ariz., found 3,370 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $1.6 million. The stash was hidden beneath a load of tomatoes in the rig’s trailer, according to authorities.



Pulled over for an equipment violation, Sergio Navarro Santana, 48, was arrested on transportation of marijuana for sale, said Sgt. Mark Morlock of the Counter Narcotics Alliance.



Authorities believe the marijuana was loaded onto the truck somewhere in the United States, Morlock said. He said he didn’t know the truck’s final destination.



Likewise, the Arkansas Highway Police Patrol Division has a word of caution for drug runners thinking about plying their trade in Arkansas, particularly Crawford County.



In that county alone, during two successive days in late May and one in June, AHP patrol officers arrested three truck drivers and confiscated a total of 262 pounds of marijuana with a total street value of $314,400.



On May 24, a truck was pulled over on Interstate 40 for a traffic violation. Officers subsequently discovered two cardboard boxes with about 100 pounds of marijuana valued at $120,000. The driver was identified as Omar Alcazar, 34, of Lennox, Calif. The truck was traveling from Gardena, Calif., to Freeport, N.Y. Alcazar was arrested at the scene.



On May 25, an 18-wheeler was stopped at a different I-40 location. Officers found 28 bundles of marijuana weighing 82 pounds and valued at $98,400. That driver was identified as James Francis Kearney, 37, of El Paso, Texas.



And AHP officers on June 2 stopped a tractor-trailer at the Alma Highway Police Station on I-40. During an inspection of the truck, officers discovered four bundles of marijuana weighing 80 pounds, and valued at about $96,000. The driver was identified as Leighton Williams, 24, of Lauderhill, Fla. It is believed the truck, transporting a wrecker lift, was traveling from Phoenix to Miami.

Associated Press sources contributed to this report.


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